January 2012

In July 2013 the School of Construction Management and Engineering funded a 2nd year undergraduate student to attend the Tsinghua International Summer School for Construction 2013 in Beijing. The lucky student in question was Adam Rossington, whose engaging blog vividly describes his experience of visiting China for the first time. We are intending to expand this pilot scheme for the forthcoming 2013/14 academic year. The University of Reading remains strongly committed to providing all students with an international experience - even if they never travel beyond the boundaries of Reading. The School has a very strong programme of industry placements with direct consequences for our 96% employability statistics. In 2013/14 we are seeking to increase the number of international placements. We strongly believe that the aspirations of our students should not be limited by national boundaries.

The Government's national planning policy framework says that local planning authorities should seek opportunities to achieve each of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, and net gains across all three.

One approach to doing this is to use methods for assessing the sustainability of individual buildings and, increasingly, for the planning of larger developments. This whole day event, to be held at the University of Reading on 17 July, will:

present new research findings on the use of such methods, and how successful they have been in promoting more sustainable development

hear from developers, planners, assessors, academics and others about their experience with using assessment methods such as the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM

hear about assessment methods operating at the community scale

provide an update on the Government's reforms of the planning system, and prospects for future developments promote shared learning amongst the delegates

School of Construction Management and Engineering receives Silver Award for Athena SWAN charter

The School of Construction Management and Engineering is pleased to announce it has been awarded a Silver Award for its commitment to the Athena SWAN charter for women in science.

The Athena SWAN charter is aimed at advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education.

The November 2012 award round had the large number of submissions to date, with 96 submission. The School is one of only thirteen schools and departments to have been granted a silver award, which is valid until April 2016. They will be presented with their award at an event to be held at The Royal Society of Edinburgh in June.

Head of School Professor Stuart Green said: “I am delighted that the School has been recognised for its commitment to advancing women’s careers in science and engineering. We hope in turn to influence practice within the construction sector which needs to avail itself of the best available talent irrespective of gender."

Rui Zou, a PhD student at the School of Construction Management and Engineering has received an award titled "Chinese Government Scholarship for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad", one of only 25 awarded.

The award ceremony was held at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in London and the certificate was presented by Mr Liu Xiaoming, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United Kingdom.

Professor Roger Flanagan, Rui Zou’s PhD supervisor, said of this achievement “There are only about 25 awards of this type, so I am so proud he got it. He is a lovely student, very hard working and committed – it is well deserved. ‘

March 26th Construction Excellence Berkshire Event at Reading University - Collaboration in 2012 - the rise of social technologies and networks (Collaboration is one of the pillars of Constructing Excellence. Historically collaboration has been promoted through the use of contracts, common processes and tools including project extranets. Social Media and other technologies are now playing a key role in how we collaborate both formally and informally. In this event speakers will share how they use social technologies and networks to share knowledge, keep up to date with industry leading initiatives and collaborate with others within their own business's, projects and the wider industry.)

The University of Reading and Faithful + Gould collaborating in pioneering new research

The University of Reading and Faithful+Gould (F+G) are collaborating in a pioneering new research designed to critically evaluate current interfaces between project and cost consultancy and the wider construction supply chain. Victoria Fillingham will undertake the research, supervised by Dr Milan Radosavljevic and Dr Stephen Gulliver from the University of Reading and members of the F+G’s BIM working group, led by Adrian Malone, see link below for more details, http://www.fgould.com/uk/articles/faithfulgould-and-university-reading-bim/

As part of Reading Science Week 2013, Professor Stuart Green will chair this year's Great Debate. Organised by the Engineering Institutions of the Thames Valley, four speakers will discuss how we create sustainable homes for the future.

The debate will be held on Whiteknights campus in the Palmer Building from 7pm on Tuesday 19 March. Please download the pdf for more information.

Reading Science Week runs 15-24 March and forms part of National Science and Engineering Week, a 10-day programme of around 4500 events running throughout the whole of the UK. Organised by the British Science Association (BSA) the aim is to celebrate science, engineering and technology and its importance in our lives. Additional Reading events include science busking, stargazing, and a public discussion on how water companies plan for the future. The full programme can be downloaded here.

In 1998, the roof of the engineering building at the University of Reading needed refurbishing: asbestos panels were no longer safe, and the Buildings Office was looking at options. Dr Anne Wheldon, then in the School of Mechanical Engineering, realised that this was the perfect opportunity to install solar panels on the building. The panels were installed as integral roof panels – more formally known as building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) – and the energy fed directly into the electrical substation in the basement of the building.

Fast forward fifteen years, and not only has the BIPV been instrumental in improving the energy performance of the building (the DEC (Display Energy Certificate) rating has gone up from F to C since 2009), but its function now extends beyond mere energy efficiency.

Dr Emmanuel Essah took over responsibility for the BIPV in 2009, and has worked to expand its use. In the engineering building foyer there is now a live feed of the energy generated by the panels. As Dr Essah explains, the display of such live data is critical in helping the public to understand the basic principles of energy saving and to appreciate what a renewable energy system can do. This message is more easily conveyed using a visual display – visitors to the building see how many cups of tea can be made from the energy generated! As we head into summer and the energy generation potential increases, Dr Essah anticipates the display moving from tea cups to kettles, and finally computers.

In addition to improving public awareness, the BIPV is also used as a teaching tool. After winning a grant from the University’s Research Endowment Trust Fund (RETF) in 2011, Dr Essah’s students have used the BIPV for a range of projects, including optimisation and characteristics of PV panels, and factors affecting their efficiency. Students enjoy engaging with the tool, and the immediate feedback they receive.

Looking to the future, Dr Essah hopes to ascertain the actual lifespan of BIPV. Manufacturers currently predict 25 years, but Dr Essah is confident that these panels – already in place for 15 years – will keep going strong, and is looking forward to monitoring impacts on their efficiency over time.

On 15th Nov 2012, SCME Director of Post Graduate Research Studies Dr Graeme Larsen attended the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) International Innovation & Research Awards 2012; were he received the 'Premier Research Paper Award' for his paper entitled 'Understanding the early stages of the innovation diffusion process: awareness, influence and communication networks'. Dr Larsen, who lectures in construction management, has spent more than 10 years researching innovation diffusion and how firms operate within networks in order to be competitive through innovation. The types of innovation studied have ranged from organizational structures through to new technologies and approaches to sustainability.

The judges commented 'An inspirational research paper that enables practitioners to rethink and understand the process of innovation. It is a fascinating piece of work with a novel approach.'

In her new role as Director of Undergraduate Programmes and a STEM Ambassador, Dr Tabarak Ballal participated in the 'Wokingham Schools' Careers Fair' organised jointly by Wokingham Business, Skills and Enterprise Partnership in conjunction with The Wokingham Federation of Secondary Schools. This initiative encourages local businesses, employers, universities and colleges to support and offer career advice to the young people of Reading and Wokingham.

Around 1300 Year 9 school pupils attended the morning session (9:00am-2:45pm) with a further 1000 Sixth Formers attending the evening session (4:00pm-8:00pm) accompanied by their parents.

The School of Construction Management and Engineering provided an informative and interactive stall including a state-of-the art 'Theodolite'; samples of wall and roof insulation, architectural drawings, a power-point presentation on 'Construction: A Career Choice for All!' and a brainteaser 'Construction' quiz.

Dr Ballal was joined by current undergraduate students in their first year of studies: Stephanie; Elspeth and Rhiannon who talked to school pupils about why they chose to study 'Construction'. She was also joined by two final year students: Conor and Ashley who showcased their second year winning design project and inspired youngsters by the quality of work produced using Computer-Aided Design. Mrs Christina Duckett - Lecturer in Construction Technology and Helen Spence provided valuable support on the day too.

"This is the first time that the School of Construction Management and Engineering has participated in a local outreach programme of this scale. I am extremely proud that I have been able to make a positive contribution on behalf of the School and offer advice to young pupils embarking upon a critical stage in their development" Dr Tabarak Ballal.

The event was held on Wednesday 17th October 2012 at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre in Lower Earley. You can view the article from the Wokingham Timeshere

Professor Tim Dixon invited to present at launch of the Work Foundation's report

Professor Tim Dixon (recently appointed Chair in Sustainable Futures in the Built Environment) was invited to present his recent work on low carbon cities at the launch of the Work Foundation's report on 'Low Carbon Jobs in Cities' on 19 July in London.

Workshop: Facilitating climate change adaptation; the potential for water conservation and reuse in West Africa.

The School of Construction Management and the Walker Institute at the University of Reading are holding a research workshop to discuss the reuse of water in West Africa on 7th June 2012, 9.30 to 16.30 at The University of Reading, Science and Technology Centre

See our recently launched exciting Alumni Profiles which allows successful graduates to share their Reading experiences in a profile. Alumni are asked between questions about their time at the University and provide a snapshot of them as a person. See two profiles from our SCME alumni below

Door handles, security buttons and wash hand basins can have a major impact of the level of hospital associated infections, finds new research led from the University of Reading.

The work has been conducted byHaCIRIC, the world's largest research programme into healthcare infrastructure, part located at the University of Reading. The Health Service Journal this weekreports findings from the research.

Japanese Minister visits Reading to build construction course links Postgraduate students studying construction at the University of Reading can now learn from Japanese expertise in the sector thanks to a new partnership. The University's School of Construction Management has teamed up with the Overseas Construction Association of Japan Inc. (OCAJI). The new collaboration means all MSc Construction Management students now have the opportunity of an internship with a Japanese company during their studies.

A new initiative is seeking to bring together academics from across the University with research interests relating to sustainability in the built environment. The objective is to showcase the University's breadth of activity in this high profile area with a view to increasing funding and collaboration opportunities.